Biological sciences

The first description of nuclear genetic variability in the only remaining sizable colony of the Mediterranean monk seal (Monachus monachus), located at Cap Blanc (Western Sahara, Mauritania), whose estimated size during the study period (1994-May 1997) was about 320 individuals is given. Several analytical methods show that, as a consequence of a severe bottleneck, the population has suffered a decrease in genetic variability over the last few centuries.

The relationship between plumage polymorphism in red-footed boobies and allelic variation at the melanocortin-1 receptor (MC1R) gene was explored. Among the melanic plumage variants, a strong association was found between the degree of melanism and the number of copies of variant MC1R alleles.